Frederic Matys Thursz (1930-1992) continually questioned painting. From this critical perspective, he developed an impressive body of work over 40 years, experimenting with various techniques, methods, and approaches in experimental arrangements. The answer to the question of what painting can be is primarily addressed in his later works through a consistent reduction to color and light, which capture the fascinated gaze of the viewer as pure qualities. This publication features over 120 works from American and European collections, most of which are published here for the first time. Alongside his artistic work, it includes a compilation of his own texts such as lectures, interviews, and diary notes. Special emphasis is placed on the transcriptions of his lecture series from 1983, which he delivered as part of his teaching activities.